Bill Belichick prides himself on having great special teams play, but that unit betrayed him and the rest of the roster in this game. Fourteen of Minnesota’s 33 points came on New England special team blunders. The first seven allowed the Vikings to tie the game when they were down 23-16, as Kene Nwangwu ran back a kickoff return for a touchdown. He was aided by a missed holding call that should have been flagged, according to NBC’s officiating specialist. The next seven occurred in the fourth quarter to break a 26-all tie. The Patriots forced the Vikings into a punt, but a running-into-the-kicker penalty gave the Vikings a free set of downs. The Vikings capitalized by scoring a touchdown three plays later.
The Vikings really prevailed on special teams, as the Patriots outgained them, 409-358, and averaged two more yards per play. Still, Minnesota put together some impressive scoring drives, mostly featuring Justin Jefferson. The Pro Bowl receiver was silenced by the Cowboys last Sunday, but bounced back with a vengeance against Belichick’s helpless defense. Jefferson caught nine passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Kirk Cousins had a surprisingly positive performance because he was set to battle a defense that possesses NFL’s No. 2 pressure rate without his left tackle. Yet, the Patriots seldom rattled him. They did early when they forced an interception on a high throw, but Cousins operated with a mostly clean pocket. This was why he was able to go 30-of-37 for 299 yards, three touchdowns and a pick.
Cousins’ other touchdowns went to Adam Thielen, who caught nine of his 10 targets for 61 yards, and T.J. Hockenson, who snatched five balls for 43 yards. Thielen caught the decisive touchdown following New England’s second special-teams gaffe.
